The BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

As a follow-up to my recent post on Simple and Delicious Mashed Cauliflower, I am proud to introduce my recipe for The BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust! After some trial and error, I believe I have found the best method for creating a tasty, firm cauliflower replacement for traditional pizza crust.

My first attempts included floppy, overly moist crust that just didn’t hit the spot. For my husband and I, the point was to “trick” us into feeling like we were eating pizza from our favorite local pizza delivery shop. If it didn’t fulfill the craving, then it wasn’t worth making. IF you want to follow along on with our diet (already down 10 pounds in 8 weeks!) check out My 16 Week Weight Loss Plan Part 1: The 5 Food Fundamentals.

Finally, I discovered two important details that made all the difference. By following this recipe you too can make the BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust.

Walking Through the Recipe

Prep the Cauliflower

First things first, you have to prep the cauliflower. There really is no way to use cauliflower as a carb replacement without a food processor. If you don’t have one, I absolutely love this inexpensive one i purchased on amazon.

Now, to prep the cauliflower, you simply need to cut it into small enough pieces to put in your food processor and then use the food processor to grind it up. I usually have to do this in two batches, as I cannot fit the full amount in the food processor all at once.

Cook the Cauliflower

Next you need to cook the cauliflower. Boil a small amount of water in a stock pot (about one inch full). Add the cauliflower, stir, cover and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).

Once cauliflower is tender, strain out the water. You can do this using a fine-mesh strainer, but since I don’t have one, I simply place a thin dishcloth over a regular colander before putting the cauliflower in. This makes the next step easier as well.

Let the cauliflower rest until it is cool to the touch.

Note: cooling will take a while… a long while. It helps to occasionally “toss” the cauliflower a few times in the colander (if you can avoid spilling it!) as that releases the steam.

Important Detail #1

Ok, this is very important. Once the cauliflower is cooled, you need to get ALL of the water out. (Ok fine, that’s impossible, but you need to try your hardest!)

If you used my method for straining, with the dish cloth, then this part is easy. Just lift up the edges of the dishcloth and close up the cauliflower inside. Then twist and squeeze all the water out. This takes a little muscle. You really have to put all your strength into it.

Mixing the dough

Once you feel like you have squeezed all the water out of the cauliflower, you can dump it into a large mixing bowl. This is where you will add your egg, cheese, and spices. You can use a utensil if you like but I usually just mix it all in with my hands like I’m making real pizza. It adds to the experience of “tricking” myself into thinking it the real deal.

Important Detail #2

Once the dough is well mixed, you need to pull your preheated pizza stone out of the oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone – get one – seriously. Even if you rarely ever cook, pizza stones are the BEST for re-heating leftover pizza too! Amazon has a huge selection of them, but this one would be my top pick.

Anyway, so you take your preheated pizza stone out of the oven and set it on a heat proof surface (I recommend the stove top). Then, cut a price of parchment paper to fit the exact size of the pizza stone and place it on top. Next, place your dough right in the middle of the parchment paper.

Now you will need to press the dough down and out (be careful! The stone will be extremely hot – use gloves if needed). Remember, the texture is very different from regular pizza dough. You can’t use a rolling-pin or anything like that, you’ll need to take your time. Press it out bit by bit until you get to the edges of the stone. It won’t expand during baking so you can get as close to the edge as you want. If you prefer (I do), you can add a little lip on the edges to resemble regular pizza crust. This also helps keep you sauce and toppings in place later. I usually aim to get my crust about 1/3” thick.

Baking Time

You are finally ready to bake your crust. Place the pizza stone back in the oven and bake on 425 for at least 30 minutes. Remove it once the crust is firm and golden and the edges start to brown. When it is ready, remove and set it aside, leaving it on the pizza stone.

Toppings

At this point, you are ready to add your sauce and toppings. I usually stick to marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. You can get as creative as you like, as long as all the toppings are already cooked.

After you add everything, just pop it back in the oven for as long as you need (likely 10-15 minutes). Make sure to remove it from the pizza stone before slicing (the parchment paper should make it easy).

The BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe

The BEST Cauliflower Pizza Crust

2017-10-23 10:37:25

Serves 4

This Pizza Crust Alternative hits the spot every time I need a "Cheat Meal" that isn't actually cheating!

10. Gather cauliflower mixture into a tight ball and place in center of parchemnt paper (on the pizza stone)

11. press firmly slowly pushing mixture out to edges unifomly. Aim to get the crust to approximately 1/3" thickness (leaving a raised area on the edges if desired)

12. Place pizza stone in oven and bake for at least 30 minutes or until crust is firm and golden and edges are slightly browned.

13. Remove from oven (keep on pizza stone), add toppings and return to oven until toppings are heated/cheese is melted (approximately 10-15 minutes).

Enjoy!

Notes

*Make sure to remove the pizza from the pizza stone before slicing (the parchment paper makes this easy!)

*If you don't want to purchase a pizza stone, you CAN make this on a baking sheet or pizza pan; however, I recommend preheating the pan. Having the hot pizza stone underneath the pizza is what makes is crispy on the bottom, so a hot pan would help as well. The pan method likley won't be as effective but it will do the trick in a pinch.

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About Sane Momma

Jessica is a happily married stay at home mom of a little boy with a big personality. After having her son, she realized how important it is for moms to take care of themselves physically and mentally. Sane Momma is her contribution to help mommas everywhere find some sanity and focus on self-care.

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About the Author

I am a happily married stay at home mom of a little boy with a big personality. After having my son I realized how important it is to take care of myself physically and mentally. Sane Momma is my contribution to helping moms focus on sanity and self-care.